Squash hybrid SV3451YG and parents thereof

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of squash hybrid SV3451YG and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of squash hybrid SV3451YG and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a squash plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another squash plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser. No.62/039,326, filed Aug. 19, 2014, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of squash hybrid SV3451YG and theinbred squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a squash plant of thehybrid designated SV3451YG, the squash line ZGN-EH10211 or squashZGN-EH09032. Also provided are squash plants having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of such a plant. Partsof these squash plants are also provided, for example, including pollen,an ovule, scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of squash hybrid SV3451YGand/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of squash hybrid SV3451YG and/orsquash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of squash hybrid SV3451YG and/orsquash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032. The squash seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population ofsquash seed of squash hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211and ZGN-EH09032. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seedof hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 maybe defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including atleast about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population ofsquash plants designated SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 andZGN-EH09032.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a squash plant of hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash linesZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating squash plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid SV3451YGand/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 include those traits setforth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides squashplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridSV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing squash seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent squash plant with a second parentsquash plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent squashplants is a plant of squash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash ZGN-EH09032.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid squash seed or plants, wherein a first squash plant is crossedwith a second squash plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of squash lineZGN-EH10211 or squash ZGN-EH09032. In these processes, crossing willresult in the production of seed. The seed production occurs regardlessof whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent squash plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent squash plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent squash plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent squash plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a squash plant or hybrid squashplant.

The present invention also provides the squash seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent squash plant with asecond parent squash plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent squash plants is a plant of squash hybrid SV3451YG and/or squashlines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032. In one embodiment of the invention,squash seed and plants produced by the process are first generation (F₁)hybrid squash seed and plants produced by crossing a plant in accordancewith the invention with another, distinct plant. The present inventionfurther contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybrid squash plant, andmethods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplary embodiments of theinvention provide an F₁ hybrid squash plant and seed thereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash linesZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid SV3451YG and/or squashlines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211and ZGN-EH09032 with a second plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plantwith itself or a second plant to produce a seed of a progeny plant of asubsequent generation. In further embodiments, the method mayadditionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequent generationand crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself ora second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional 3-10generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid SV3451YG and/orsquash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032. The plant derived from hybridSV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 may be aninbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of squashhybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032, whereinthe plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting at leastone squash from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofsquash hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a squash plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides squash plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the squash plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid SV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211and ZGN-EH09032 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by squash plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a squash plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second squash plant, preferably, another, distinctsquash plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a squashplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of squash hybrid SV3451YG, squash line ZGN-EH10211and squash ZGN-EH09032.

Squash hybrid SV3451YG is a dark green zucchini hybrid with strongvigor, good production in cold seasons, and resistance to severalimportant viral pathogens.

A. ORIGIN AND BREEDING HISTORY OF SQUASH HYBRID SV3451YG

The parents of hybrid SV3451YG are ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032. Theparent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid produced therefrom.A small percentage of variants can occur within commercially acceptablelimits for almost any characteristic during the course of repeatedmultiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SQUASH HYBRIDSV3451YG, SQUASH LINE ZGN-EH10211 AND SQUASH ZGN-EH09032

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of squash hybrid SV3451YG and the parent lines thereof.A description of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofsuch plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridSV3451YG Comparison Variety Fordhook CHARACTERISTIC SV3451YG (ZGN47-111*HP 111) 1. Species Pepo Pepo 2. Kind/Use squash squash 3. Typesummer (vegetable marrow) summer 4. Cotyledon length 38.6 mm 39.5 mmwidth 28.8 mm 29.6 mm apex rounded rounded veining plainly visibleprominent color medium green medium green color (RHS Color Chart) 143A143A Seedling shape of cotyledons narrow elliptic (Bianchini) ellipticintensity of green color of medium (Cora) medium cotyledons crosssection of concave concave cotyledons 5. Mature Plant growth habit bushbush plant type pilose prickly 6. Main Stem cross-section shape roundround diameter at mid-point of 30.1 mm 36.7 mm 1^(st) internode averagelength 44.5 cm 26.5 cm average number of 25.1 25.6 internodes Stem colorcompletely green (Becky) completely green intensity of green color verydark (Goldrush) dark mottling absent (Cinderella) absent tendrils welldeveloped (Baby Bear, well developed Greyzini) Plant growth habit bush(Greyzini) bush branching absent (Goldi) absent bush varieties only:semi-erect (Arlesa) erect to semi-erect attitude of petiole (excludinglower external leaves) 7. Leaves blade shape reniform reniform bladeform deep lobed deep lobed margin denticulate denticulate margin edgesfrilled frilled average width 37.6 cm 36.3 cm average length 29 cm 29.0cm leaf surface smooth blistered dorsal surface pubescence soft hairysoft hairy vental surface pubescence soft hairy soft hairy color darkgreen dark green color (RHS Color Chart) 139A 139A leaf blotchingblotched with gray blotched with gray leaf blade: size medium(Ambassador) medium leaf blade: incisions deep (Civac) medium leafblade: intensity of dark (Everest) dark green color of upper surfaceleaf blade: silvery patches present (Civac) present leaf blade: relativearea medium (Ambassador) medium covered by silvery patches averagepetiole length 39.2 cm 38.3 cm petiole length medium (Goldi) longpetiole: number of few (Opaline) absent or very few prickles 8. Flowerpistillate flower: average 12.4 cm 13.4 cm diameter pistillate flower:ovary drum-like drum-like pistillate flower: average 1.6 cm 2.3 cmpedicel length pistillate flower: margin curved curved shape pistillateflower: margin frilled frilled edges pistillate flower: average 1.1 mm1.0 mm sepal width pistillate flower: average 5.6 mm 3.8 mm sepal lengthpistillate flower: color orange orange pistillate flower: color 23A 23A(RHS Color Chart) staminate flower: average 19.9 mm 15.7 mm sepal lengthstaminate flower: average 2.5 mm 1.9 mm sepal width staminate flower:average 202.7 mm 16.4 mm pedicel length staminate flower: color orangeorange staminate flower: color 23A 24A female flower: ring at present(Aurore) present inner side of corolla female flower: color of green(Aurore, Early White green ring at inner side of Bush Scallop,President) corolla female flower: intensity of strong (Aristocrat,Diamant) weak green color of ring at inner side of corolla (varietieswith green ring at inner side of corolla) male flower: ring at innerpresent (Goldi) present side of corolla male flower: color of ring green(Austral, Belor, Goldi) green at inner side of corolla male flower:intensity of strong (Goldi) strong green color of ring at inner side ofcorolla 9. Fruit market maturity: average 15.3 cm 16.1 cm length marketmaturity: average 2.5 cm 2.9 cm width - stem end at market maturity: 1.4cm 1.2 cm average width - blossom end market maturity: average 129 gm165.8 gm weight market maturity: shape zucchini zucchini according tovariety type market maturity: apex rounded rounded market maturity: basetaper pointed rounded market maturity: ribs none inconspicuous marketmaturity: fruit smooth smooth surface market maturity: warts none nonemarket maturity: blossom raised acron slightly extended scar buttonyoung fruit: ratio length/ medium (Cora) medium maximum diameter(zucchini type varieties) young fruit: general shape cylindrical(Ambassador, cylindrical (zucchini and rounded Ibis) zucchini typevarieties) young fruit: main color of green (Elite, Opal, Romano) greenskin (excluding color of ribs or grooves) young fruit: intensity of verydark (Carnaval, dark green color of skin Corsair) (excluding color ofribs or grooves; only varieties with green color of skin) general shapecylindrical cylindrical length (zucchini type medium (Cora) mediumvarieties) maximum diameter small (Goldi) small (zucchini typevarieties) ratio length/maximum medium (Cora) medium diameter (zucchinitype varieties) blossom end (zucchini and pointed rounded neck typevarieties) grooves present present depth of grooves medium (Delicata,Table shallow Queen) ribs absent absent main color of skin green(Ambassador, Baby green (excluding color of dots, Bear) patches, stripesand bands) intensity of green color of very dark (Baby Bear, very darkskin (only varieties with Sardane) green color of skin) stripes ingrooves absent (Baby Bear, Jack Be absent Little) dots present (GoldRush, Table absent Queen) size of main dots very small (Badger Cross)secondary green color absent (Grey Zucchini, between ribs (excludingSmall Sugar) dots) warts on skin absent absent size of flower scar verysmall (Jack Be Little) medium length of peduncle medium (Cinderella)long color of peduncle green (Ambassador) green intensity of green colorof dark (Gold Rush) dark peduncle mottling of peduncle present (Elite)present ripe fruit: main color of dark green green skin (excluding colorof mottles, patches, stripes and bands) ripe fruit: secondary colororange orange of skin (excluding color of mottles, patches, stripes andbands) ripe fruit: color of flesh yellow (Sunburst, Vegetable yellowSpaghetti) ripe fruit: lignified rind present (Elite, Little Gem,present Scallopini, Yellow Summer Crookneck) ripe fruit: structure offibrous (Vegetable fibrous flesh Spaghetti)) 10. Rind average thicknessat 2 mm 2.2 mm medial main or ground color orange gray-green main orground color 163B N189A (RHS Color Chart) color of blotches orangegray-orange color of blotches 22A N163C 11. Flesh average blossom end36.8 mm 31.7 mm thickness average medial thickness 34.3 mm 39.5 mmaverage stem end 29.5 mm 37.7 mm thickness texture (fine, granular, finefine lumpy or stringy) texture (soft, firm or firm firm brittle) texture(dry, moist or juicy moist juicy) flavor slightly sweet slightly sweetquality good good color yellow green white green color (RHS Color Chart)150D a54D 12. Seed Cavity average length 30.1 cm 31.3 cm average width 5cm 6.1 cm location conforms to fruit shape conforms to fruit shapeplacental tissue abundant moderately abundant center core prominentinconspicuous 13. Fruit Stalks average length 2.9 cm 3.5 cm averagediameter 2.2 cm 2.2 cm cross-section shape irregular irregular twistingnot twisted not twisted tapering tapered tapered straightness slightlycurved slightly curved texture hard hard furrows shallow deep surfacesmooth smooth attachment end expanded expanded detaches with difficultywith difficulty color dark green dark green color (RHS Color Chart) 143A137B 14. Seeds average length 14.7 mm 13.4 mm average width 8.5 mm 8.5mm average thickness 3.2 mm 3.4 mm face surface smooth smooth colorcream cream color (RHS Color Chart) 155B 155A luster glossy glossymargin curved curved margin edge rounded rounded separation from pulpdifficult easy average grams per 100 15 gm 14.0 gm seeds average numberof seeds 213.2 133.8 per fruit seed coat normal normal size medium(Diamant) medium shape elliptic (Elite) elliptic hull present (BabyBear, Elite) present appearance of hull fully developed (Elite) fullydeveloped color of hull cream (De Nice á Fruit cream Rond) For NLTechnical Questionnaire: Special Conditions for the Examination of theVariety fruit type: zucchini fruit: patches, stripes or present (Elite,Greyzini) bands in ripe stage (if zucchini type) *These are typicalvalues. Values may vary due to environment. Other values that aresubstantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineZGN-EH10211 Comparison Variety Fordhook CHARACTERISTIC ZGN-EH10211 (ZGN47-111*HP 111) 1. Species Pepo Pepo 2. Kind/Use squash squash 3. Typesummer (vegetable marrow) summer 4. Cotyledon length 33.3 mm 39.5 mmwidth 24.8 mm 29.6 mm apex tapered rounded veining prominent prominentcolor medium green medium green color (RHS Color Chart) 143A 143ASeedling shape of cotyledons narrow elliptic (Bianchini) ellipticintensity of green color of medium (Cora) medium cotyledons crosssection of concave concave cotyledons 5. Mature Plant growth habit bushbush plant type pilose prickly 6. Main Stem cross-section shape angledround diameter at mid-point of 23.5 mm 36.7 mm 1^(st) internode averagelength 37.6 cm 26.5 cm average number of 17.6 25.6 internodes Stem colorcompletely green (Becky) completely green intensity of green color dark(Greyzini) dark mottling absent (Cinderella) absent tendrils welldeveloped (Baby Bear, well developed Greyzini) Plant growth habit bush(Greyzini) bush branching absent (Goldi) absent bush varieties only:erect to semi-erect (Sardane) erect to semi-erect attitude of petiole(excluding lower external leaves) 7. Leaves blade shape reniformreniform blade form deep lobed deep lobed margin denticulate denticulatemargin edges frilled frilled average width 37.2 cm 36.3 cm averagelength 26.6 cm 29.0 cm leaf surface blistered blistered dorsal surfacepubescence soft hairy soft hairy vental surface pubescence soft hairysoft hairy color dark green dark green color (RHS Color Chart) 139A 139Aleaf blotching blotched with gray blotched with gray leaf blade: sizemedium (Ambassador) medium leaf blade: incisions medium (Jackpot) mediumleaf blade: intensity of dark (Everest) dark green color of uppersurface leaf blade: silvery patches present (Civac) present leaf blade:relative area medium (Ambassador) medium covered by silvery patchesaverage petiole length 36.6 cm 38.3 cm petiole length medium (Goldi)long petiole: number of few (Opaline) absent or very few prickles 8.Flower pistillate flower: average 12.5 cm 13.4 cm diameter pistillateflower: ovary drum-like drum-like pistillate flower: average 1.3 cm 2.3cm pedicel length pistillate flower: margin curved curved shapepistillate flower: margin frilled frilled edges pistillate flower:average 1.2 mm 1.0 mm sepal width pistillate flower: average 4.8 mm 3.8mm sepal length pistillate flower: color orange orange pistillateflower: color 24A 23A (RHS Color Chart) staminate flower: average 17 mm15.7 mm sepal length staminate flower: average 2.5 mm 1.9 mm sepal widthstaminate flower: average 231.4 mm 16.4 mm pedicel length staminateflower: color orange orange staminate flower: color N25C 24A femaleflower: ring at present (Aurore) present inner side of corolla femaleflower: color of green (Aurore, Early White green ring at inner side ofBush Scallop, President) corolla female flower: intensity of strong(Aristocrat, Diamant) weak green color of ring at inner side of corolla(varieties with green ring at inner side of corolla) male flower: ringat inner present (Goldi) present side of corolla male flower: color ofring yellow and green (Alice, green at inner side of corolla Carmina,Green Gem, Ibis) male flower: intensity of medium (Verdi) strong greencolor of ring at inner side of corolla 9. Fruit market maturity: average16.7 cm 16.1 cm length market maturity: average 2.4 cm 2.9 cm width -stem end at market maturity: .7 cm 1.2 cm average width - blossom endmarket maturity: average 184.7 gm 165.8 gm weight market maturity: shapezucchini zucchini according to variety type market maturity: apextapered pointed rounded market maturity: base flattened rounded marketmaturity: ribs none inconspicuous market maturity: fruit smooth smoothsurface market maturity: warts none none market maturity: blossom raisedacron slightly extended scar button young fruit: ratio length/maximummedium (Cora) medium diameter (zucchini type varieties) young fruit:general shape cylindrical (Ambassador, cylindrical (zucchini and roundedIbis) zucchini type varieties) young fruit: main color of green (Elite,Opal, Romano) green skin (excluding color of ribs or grooves) youngfruit: intensity of dark (Arlesa, Sandra, Zefira) dark green color ofskin (excluding color of ribs or grooves; only varieties with greencolor of skin) general shape cylindrical cylindrical length (zucchinitype medium (Cora) medium varieties) maximum diameter medium (Opal)small (zucchini type varieties) ratio length/maximum medium (Cora)medium diameter (zucchini type varieties) blossom end (zucchini andpointed rounded neck type varieties) grooves absent present main colorof skin green (Ambassador, Baby green (excluding color of dots, Bear)patches, stripes and bands) intensity of green color of dark (Cora) verydark skin (only varieties with green color of skin) stripes in groovesabsent (Baby Bear, Jack Be absent Little) dots absent (Sunburst) absentwarts on skin absent absent size of flower scar small (Goldi) mediumlength of peduncle medium (Cinderella) long color of peduncle green(Ambassador) green intensity of green color of dark (Gold Rush) darkpeduncle mottling of peduncle present (Elite) present ripe fruit: maincolor of dark green green skin (excluding color of mottles, patches,stripes and bands) ripe fruit: color of flesh yellow (Sunburst,Vegetable yellow Spaghetti) ripe fruit: lignified rind present (Elite,Little Gem, present Scallopini, Yellow Summer Crookneck) ripe fruit:structure of fibrous (Vegetable fibrous flesh Spaghetti)) 10. Rindaverage thickness at 2.5 mm 2.2 mm medial toughness hard hard overallcolor pattern regular irregular main or ground color gray-greengray-green main or ground color N189A N189A (RHS Color Chart) color ofblotches orange gray-orange color of blotches N25B N163C 11. Fleshaverage blossom end 42.9 mm 31.7 mm thickness average medial thickness41.3 mm 39.5 mm average stem end 35.4 mm 37.7 mm thickness texture(fine, granular, fine fine lumpy or stringy) texture (soft, firm or firmfirm brittle) texture (dry, moist or moist moist juicy) flavor sweetslightly sweet quality excellent good color yellow white green color(RHS Color Chart) 4D 154D 12. Seed Cavity average length 22.6 cm 31.3 cmaverage width 5.2 cm 6.1 cm location conforms to fruit shape conforms tofruit shape placental tissue abundant moderately abundant center coreinconspicuous inconspicuous 13. Fruit Stalks average length 2.4 cm 3.5cm average diameter 1.6 cm 2.2 cm cross-section shape irregularirregular twisting not twisted not twisted tapering tapered taperedstraightness curved slightly curved texture hard hard furrows deep deepsurface rough smooth attachment end expanded expanded detaches easilywith difficulty color dark green dark green color (RHS Color Chart) 139A137B 14. Seeds average length 14 mm 13.4 mm average width 7.4 mm 8.5 mmaverage thickness 3.3 mm 3.4 mm face surface smooth smooth color creamcream color (RHS Color Chart) 155A 155A luster glossy glossy margincurved curved margin edge rounded rounded separation from pulpmoderately easy easy average grams per 100 12 gm 14.0 gm seeds averagenumber of seeds 179.9 133.8 per fruit seed coat normal normal sizemedium (Diamant) medium shape elliptic (Elite) elliptic hull present(Baby Bear, Elite) present appearance of hull fully developed (Elite)fully developed color of hull cream (De Nice à Fruit cream Rond) For NLTechnical Questionnaire: Special Conditions for the Examination of theVariety fruit type: zucchini fruit: patches, stripes or absent(Ambassador, bands in ripe stage (if Black Jack) zucchini type) *Theseare typical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other valuesthat are substantially equivalent are also within the scope of theinvention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of ZGN-EH09032Comparison Variety Fordhook CHARACTERISTIC ZGN-EH09032 (ZGN 47-111*HP111) 1. Species Pepo Pepo 2. Kind/Use squash squash 3. Type summer(vegetable marrow) summer 4. Cotyledon length 36.5 mm 39.5 mm width 26.3mm 29.6 mm apex tapered rounded veining plainly visible prominent colormedium green medium green color (RHS Color Chart) 143A 143A Seedlingshape of cotyledons narrow elliptic (Bianchini) elliptic intensity ofgreen color of medium (Cora) medium cotyledons cross section of concaveconcave cotyledons 5. Mature Plant growth habit bush bush plant typeprickly prickly 6. Main Stem cross-section shape round round diameter atmid-point of 27.2 mm 36.7 mm 1^(st) internode average length 31.6 cm26.5 cm average number of 25 25.6 internodes Stem color completely green(Becky) completely green intensity of green color dark (Greyzini) darkmottling absent (Cinderella) absent tendrils absent to rudimentary welldeveloped (Goldrush, Sylvana) Plant growth habit bush (Greyzini) bushbranching absent (Goldi) absent bush varieties only: semi-erect (Arlesa)erect to semi-erect attitude of petiole (excluding lower externalleaves) 7. Leaves blade shape reniform reniform blade form deep lobeddeep lobed margin dentate denticulate margin edges frilled frilledaverage width 34.3 cm 36.3 cm average length 27.6 cm 29.0 cm leafsurface smooth blistered dorsal surface pubescence soft hairy soft hairyvental surface pubescence soft hairy soft hairy color dark green darkgreen color (RHS Color Chart) 147A 139A leaf blotching blotched withgray blotched with gray leaf blade: size medium (Ambassador) medium leafblade: incisions deep (Civac) medium leaf blade: intensity of dark(Everest) dark green color of upper surface leaf blade: silvery patchespresent (Civac) present leaf blade: relative area small (Aziz) mediumcovered by silvery patches average petiole length 37.4 cm 38.3 cmpetiole length medium (Goldi) long petiole: number of absent or very few(Kojac) absent or very few prickles 8. Flower pistillate flower: average10.6 cm 13.4 cm diameter pistillate flower: ovary drum-like drum-likepistillate flower: average 10.6 cm 2.3 cm pedicel length pistillateflower: margin curved curved shape pistillate flower: margin frilledfrilled edges pistillate flower: average 1.2 mm 1.0 mm sepal widthpistillate flower: average 4.8 mm 3.8 mm sepal length pistillate flower:color orange orange pistillate flower: color 24A 23A (RHS Color Chart)staminate flower: average 19.6 mm 15.7 mm sepal length staminate flower:average 2.8 mm 1.9 mm sepal width staminate flower: average 128 mm 16.4mm pedicel length staminate flower: color orange orange staminateflower: color 25A 24A female flower: color at present (Aurore) presentinner side of corolla female flower: color of green (Aurore, Early Whitegreen ring at inner side of Bush Scallop, President) corolla femaleflower: intensity of strong (Aristocrat, Diamant) weak green color ofring at inner side of corolla (varieties with green ring at inner sideof corolla) male flower: ring at inner present (Goldi) present side ofcorolla male flower: color of ring green (Austral, Belor, Goldi) greenat inner side of corolla male flower: intensity of strong (Goldi) stronggreen color of ring at inner side of corolla 9. Fruit market maturity:average 16.2 cm 16.1 cm length market maturity: average 2.6 cm 2.9 cmwidth - stem end at market maturity: 1.2 cm 1.2 cm average width -blossom end market maturity: average 150 gm 165.8 gm weight marketmaturity: shape zucchini zucchini according to variety type marketmaturity: apex rounded rounded market maturity: base rounded roundedmarket maturity: ribs prominent inconspicuous market maturity: ribshallow shallow furrow depth market maturity: rib narrow medium widefurrow width market maturity: fruit smooth smooth surface marketmaturity: warts none none market maturity: blossom slightly extendedslightly extended scar button young fruit: ratio length/maximum large(Carlotta) medium diameter (zucchini type varieties) young fruit:general shape cylindrical (Ambassador, cylindrical (zucchini and roundedIbis) zucchini type varieties) young fruit: main color of green (Elite,Opal, Romano) green skin (excluding color of ribs or grooves) youngfruit: intensity of very dark (Carnaval, dark green color of skinCorsair) (excluding color of ribs or grooves; only varieties with greencolor of skin) general shape cylindrical cylindrical length (zucchinitype medium (Cora) medium varieties) maximum diameter small (Goldi)small (zucchini type varieties) ratio length/maximum medium (Cora)medium diameter (zucchini type varieties) blossom end (zucchini androunded rounded neck type varieties) grooves absent present ribs absentabsent main color of skin green (Ambassador, Baby green (excluding colorof dots, Bear) patches, stripes and bands) intensity of green color ofvery dark (Baby Bear, very dark skin (only varieties with Sardane) greencolor of skin) stripes in grooves absent (Baby Bear, Jack Be absentLittle) dots absent (Sunburst) absent warts on skin absent absent sizeof flower scar small (Goldi) medium length of peduncle long (Tivoli)long color of peduncle green (Ambassador) green intensity of green colorof dark (Gold Rush) dark peduncle mottling of peduncle present (Elite)present ripe fruit: main color of green green skin (excluding color ofmottles, patches, stripes and bands) ripe fruit: intensity of dark maincolor of skin ripe fruit: secondary color orange orange of skin(excluding color of mottles, patches, stripes and bands) ripe fruit:green hue (only absent (Jedida) absent white and cream) ripe fruit:color of flesh yellow (Sunburst, Vegetable yellow Spaghetti) ripe fruit:lignified rind present (Elite, Little Gem, present Scallopini, YellowSummer Crookneck) ripe fruit: structure of fibrous (Vegetable fibrousflesh Spaghetti)) 10. Rind average thickness at 2 mm 2.2 mm medialtoughness hard hard overall color pattern irregular irregular main orground color gray-green gray-green main or ground color N189A N189A (RHSColor Chart) color of blotches gray-orange gray-orange color of blotchesN163C N163C 11. Flesh average blossom end 38.3 mm 31.7 mm thicknessaverage medial thickness 33.3 mm 39.5 mm average stem end 33 mm 37.7 mmthickness texture (fine, granular, granular fine lumpy or stringy)texture (soft, firm or firm firm brittle) texture (dry, moist or juicymoist juicy) flavor sweet slightly sweet quality excellent good colorwhitish-cream white green color (RHS Color Chart) 154A 154D 12. SeedCavity average length 29.3 cm 31.3 cm average width 4.6 cm 6.1 cmlocation conforms to fruit shape conforms to fruit shape placentaltissue moderately abundant moderately abundant center core prominentinconspicuous 13. Fruit Stalks average length 3.7 cm 3.5 cm averagediameter 1.9 cm 2.2 cm cross-section shape round irregular twisting nottwisted not twisted tapering tapered tapered straightness straightslightly curved texture spongy hard furrows deep deep surface smoothsmooth attachment end expanded expanded detaches with difficulty withdifficulty color dark green dark green color (RHS Color Chart) 147A 137B14. Seeds average length 13.2 mm 13.4 mm average width 8.6 mm 8.5 mmaverage thickness 2.6 mm 3.4 mm face surface smooth smooth color creamcream color (RHS Color Chart) 155A 155A luster glossy glossy margincurved curved margin edge rounded rounded separation from pulp difficulteasy average grams per 100 13 gm 14.0 gm seeds average number of seeds63 133.8 per fruit seed coat normal normal size medium (Diamant) mediumshape elliptic (Elite) elliptic hull present (Baby Bear, Elite) presentappearance of hull fully developed (Elite) fully developed color of hullcream (De Nice à Fruit cream Rond) For NL Technical Questionnaire:Special Conditions for the Examination of the Variety fruit type:zucchini fruit: patches, stripes or absent (Ambassador, bands in ripestage (if Black Jack) zucchini type) *These are typical values. Valuesmay vary due to environment. Other values that are substantiallyequivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

C. BREEDING SQUASH PLANTS

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof squash hybrid SV3451YG involving crossing squash lines ZGN-EH10211and ZGN-EH09032. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid SV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211, or ZGN-EH09032 may be crossed withitself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid SV3451YG and/or the squash lines ZGN-EH10211 andZGN-EH09032, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid SV3451YG and/or the squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032.Plants derived from hybrid SV3451YG and/or the squash lines ZGN-EH10211and ZGN-EH09032 may be used, in certain embodiments, for the developmentof new squash varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid SV3451YG followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withSV3451YG and/or squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 for the purposeof developing novel squash lines, it will typically be preferred tochoose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or more selecteddesirable characteristics or which exhibit the desired characteristic(s)when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirable traits may include, inspecific embodiments, high seed yield, high seed germination, seedlingvigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance or resistance, andadaptability for soil and climate conditions. Consumer-driven traits,such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and taste are other examples oftraits that may be incorporated into new lines of squash plantsdeveloped by this invention.

D. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS

As described above, hybrid SV3451YG exhibits desirable traits, asconferred by squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032. The performancecharacteristics of hybrid SV3451YG and squash lines ZGN-EH10211 andZGN-EH09032 were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits relative to other varieties. The results of the analysis arepresented below.

TABLE 4 Performance Data for Hybrid SV3451YG Plot ASRT3 Shape ColorUniformity Ease of harvest Blossom Scar Vigor Growth Habit SpinesGrams/plant 1042 Competitor 1 5 7 5 2 3 2 2 4 167 1073 Competitor 1 5 65 2 3 3 3 4 143 1101 Competitor 1 5 5 6 2 3 3 5 5 121 1129 Competitor 14 6 5 1 3 2 3 4 108 1157 Competitor 1 5 5 5 3 2 3 4 5 131 1041Competitor 2 3 6 3 1 3 3 3 3 157 1072 Competitor 2 4 5 3 1 3 2 4 4 1751100 Competitor 2 4 5 3 1 3 2 4 4 161 1128 Competitor 2 5 4 5 1 3 3 4 5125 1156 Competitor 2 6 4 6 3 3 3 5 5 146 1168 Competitor 2 6 6 4 6 3 22 3 167 1065 SV3451YG 5 5 4 1 3 4 3 5 166 1066 SV3451YG 4 5 3 1 3 3 2 4166 1093 SV3451YG 3 8 2 1 3 3 3 5 216 1094 SV3451YG 5 5 4 1 3 2 2 3 2001121 SV3451YG 4 5 4 1 3 3 2 4 170 1122 SV3451YG 4 4 5 2 3 3 2 5 165 1149SV3451YG 6 6 6 5 3 3 2 5 163 1150 SV3451YG 5 6 5 2 3 3 4 5 166 1163SV3451YG 5 7 5 5 3 3 3 3 205 1164 SV3451YG 4 6 6 4 3 3 2 4 203 Hybridperformance data from field trials in Los Mochis, Mexico, Dec-January2013-2014, 14 harvest dates, 15 plants per plot. Subjective qualityratings (1-9 scale) for phenotypic traits, where 1 represents the ideal,5 is typical for the market class, and 9 is unacceptable to professionalfarmers. Grams of marketable fruits per plant were estimated based onaverage fruit weights in each size class and size classification at eachharvest date.

E. FURTHER EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those squash plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the physiologicaland morphological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalsquash plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental squash plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a squash plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny squash plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of squash the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of squash plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

F. PLANTS DERIVED BY GENETIC ENGINEERING

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., Bio-Technology, 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem;the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a squash plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a squash plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

G. DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the physiological and morphological characteristics of a squashvariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a squash plant by transformation.

H. DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of squash hybrid SV3451YG and the inbred squash linesZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032, disclosed above and recited in the claims,has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The dates of deposit wereAug. 26, 2014, Sep. 12, 2014, and Jul. 30, 2014, respectively. Theaccession numbers for those deposited seeds of squash hybrid SV3451YGand the inbred squash lines ZGN-EH10211 and ZGN-EH09032 are ATCCAccession No. PTA-121514, ATCC Accession No. PTA-121597 and ATCCAccession No. PTA-121434, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, allrestrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A squash plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of squash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, asample of seed of said lines having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-121597 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121434, respectively. 2.A squash seed comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes ofsquash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, a sample of seed ofsaid lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121597and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121434, respectively.
 3. The plant ofclaim 1, which is an inbred.
 4. The plant of claim 1, which is a hybrid.5. The seed of claim 2, which is an inbred.
 6. The seed of claim 2,which is a hybrid.
 7. The plant of claim 4, wherein the hybrid plant issquash hybrid SV3451YG, a sample of seed of said hybrid SV3451YG havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121514.
 8. The seed ofclaim 6, defined as a seed of squash hybrid SV3451YG, a sample of seedof said hybrid SV3451YG having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-121514.
 9. The seed of claim 2, defined as a seed of lineZGN-EH10211 or line ZGN-EH09032.
 10. A plant part of the plant of claim1, said plant part comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes ofsquash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, a sample of seed ofsaid lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121597and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121434, respectively.
 11. The plant partof claim 10, further defined as a leaf, an ovule, pollen, a fruit, or acell.
 12. A squash plant having all the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the squash plant of claim
 7. 13. A tissue culture ofregenerable cells of the plant of claim 1, said cells comprising atleast a first set of the chromosomes of squash line ZGN-EH10211 orsquash line ZGN-EH09032, a sample of seed of said lines having beendeposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121597 and ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-121434, respectively.
 14. The tissue culture according toclaim 13, comprising cells or protoplasts from a plant part selectedfrom the group consisting of embryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen,leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks. 15.A squash plant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim
 13. 16. Amethod of vegetatively propagating the squash plant of claim 1, saidmethod comprising the steps of: (a) collecting tissue capable of beingpropagated from the plant according to claim 1; (b) cultivating saidtissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and (c) rooting said proliferatedshoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising growing at least a first squash plant from said rootedplantlets.
 18. A method of introducing a desired trait into a squashline, said method comprising: (a) utilizing as a recurrent parent aplant of either squash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, bycrossing a plant of squash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032with a second donor squash plant that comprises a desired trait toproduce F1 progeny, a sample of seed of said lines having been depositedunder ATCC Accession Number PTA-121597, and ATCC Accession NumberPTA-121434, respectively; (b) selecting an F1 progeny that comprises thedesired trait; (c) backcrossing the selected F1 progeny with a plant ofthe same squash line used as the recurrent parent in step (a), toproduce backcross progeny; (d) selecting backcross progeny comprisingthe desired trait; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or moretimes to produce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny thatcomprise the desired trait, and otherwise comprises all of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the recurrent parentsquash line used in step (a).
 19. A method of producing a squash plantcomprising an added trait, the method comprising introducing a transgeneconferring the trait into a plant of squash hybrid SV3451YG, squash lineZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, a sample of seed of said hybridand lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-121514,ATCC Accession Number PTA-121597, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121434,respectively.
 20. A plant of squash hybrid SV3451YG, squash lineZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, further comprising a transgenewherein the plant otherwise comprises essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of squash hybridSV3451YG, squash line ZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032.
 21. Theplant of claim 20, wherein the transgene confers a trait selected fromthe group consisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insectresistance, pest resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acidmetabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydratemetabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 22. A plant produced byintroducing a single locus conversion into a plant of squash lineZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, wherein the converted plantcomprises the single locus conversion and otherwise comprises all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of squash lineZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032, a sample of seed of squash lineZGN-EH10211 or squash line ZGN-EH09032 having been deposited under ATCCAccession Number PTA-121597 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121434,respectively.
 23. The plant of claim 22, wherein the single locusconversion confers a trait selected from the group consisting of malesterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance,disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stresstolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism and modified proteinmetabolism.
 24. A method for producing a seed of a squash plant derivedfrom at least one of squash hybrid SV3451YG, squash line ZGN-EH10211 orsquash line ZGN-EH09032, said method comprising the steps of: (a)crossing a squash plant of hybrid SV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211 or lineZGN-EH09032 with itself or a second squash plant; a sample of seed ofsaid hybrid and lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession NumberPTA-121514, ATCC Accession Number PTA-121597, and ATCC Accession NumberPTA-121434, respectively; and (b) allowing seed of a hybrid SV3451YG,line ZGN-EH10211 or line ZGN-EH09032-derived squash plant to form. 25.The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of: (c) selfing aplant grown from said hybrid SV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211 or lineZGN-EH09032-derived squash seed to yield additional hybrid SV3451YG,line ZGN-EH10211 or line ZGN-EH09032-derived squash seed; (d) growingsaid additional hybrid SV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211 or lineZGN-EH09032-derived squash seed of step (c) to yield additional hybridSV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211 or line ZGN-EH09032-derived squash plants;and (e) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (c) and (d) togenerate at least a first further hybrid SV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211 orline ZGN-EH09032-derived squash plant.
 26. The method of claim 24,wherein the second squash plant is of an inbred squash line.
 27. Themethod of claim 24, comprising crossing line ZGN-EH10211 with lineZGN-EH09032, a sample of seed of said lines having been deposited underATCC Accession Number PTA-121597, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-121434,respectively.
 28. The method of claim 25, further comprising: (f)crossing the further hybrid SV3451YG, line ZGN-EH10211 or lineZGN-EH09032-derived squash plant with a second squash plant to produceseed of a hybrid progeny plant.
 29. A plant part of the plant of claim7, wherein the plant part comprises a cell of squash hybrid SV3451YG.30. The plant part of claim 29, further defined as a leaf, a flower, afruit, an ovule, pollen, or a cell.
 31. A method of producing a squashseed, said method comprising crossing the plant of claim 1 with itselfor a second squash plant and allowing seed to form.
 32. A method ofproducing a squash fruit, said method comprising: (a) obtaining theplant according to claim 1, wherein the plant has been cultivated tomaturity; and (b) collecting a squash from the plant.